One of our key practices is corporate and commercial law. For years, we have been supporting Slovenian and international clients – from start-ups to multinational companies – throughout all stages of the corporate lifecycle.

In the field of general corporate law, we focus not only on providing traditional corporate legal services, but also on handling structured and cross-border legal issues. Our practice includes advising on choosing business forms and management structures, incorporating new companies, branch offices and joint ventures (including drafting all transactional documents), dealing with corporate documentation and procedures, as well as providing advice on shareholders’ rights and agreements, corporate governance, preparation for and representation in shareholders’ meetings, the powers and responsibilities of executive bodies, etc.

In the field of commercial law, we offer legal counsel in relation to the negotiation and drafting of various types of commercial agreements. We advise on compliance, including advertising, branding, marketing and other issues. Our lawyers also help clients determine the merits of a particular claim by analysing the facts from a legal perspective, and assist and represent clients in commercial litigation and alternative dispute resolution proceedings.

Sometimes litigation is unavoidable. At such times, our lawyers handling commercial litigation will draw on their understanding of our client’s business and work with the client to develop a strategy that meets their specific enforcement or defensive needs. From the start, our team does its best to provide the client with a clear picture of the opportunities and risks involved, and makes every effort to obtain the outcome that makes economic sense for the client’s business. We represent Slovenian and international, corporate and individual clients.

Our team covers the entire spectrum of litigation, including interpretation and performance of contracts, unfair competition, insurance law, warranty issues, damages in contract and tort, etc. As well as providing ‘classic’ litigation services, our lawyers are also experienced in advising on and representing clients in alternative dispute resolution proceedings including pre-trial settlement, arbitrations, mediations and negotiations.

Supporting the purchasers, sellers, targets and providers of finance in national and cross-border M&A transactions has become a tradition and one of the core competencies of our law firm.

Our commercial lawyers assist clients and safeguard their interests throughout all phases of an M&A deal, starting from drafting letters of intent and non-disclosure agreements, conducting due diligence procedures and advising on the transaction’s structure, through to negotiating terms, preparing the transaction documentation, ensuring compliance with takeover provisions, advising on different financial settlement methods, obtaining appropriate authorisations and closing.

We have experience in national and cross-border M&A, including share and asset deals, mergers, demergers, takeovers, joint ventures, restructurings, etc. Our practice combines knowledge of related legal fields such as takeover law, antitrust law and financial markets law.

Our real estate and construction practice combines knowledge, local experience and a practical grasp of the individual requirements of each project. We assist national and international property companies, project developers, investors, banks and other property financiers, real estate funds, shopping centre operators and entities involved in the construction business in relation to the purchase, development, construction, operation and financing of properties.

Our team does its best to provide solution-driven and cost-aware legal input through every stage of a project. Beginning with the acquisition of property (either in share-, asset- or combined deals, and including legal due diligence), we support clients in establishing real-estate projects related joint ventures, project development, negotiating and drafting financing agreements, preparing construction agreements, residential and commercial leases, drafting facility management contracts and disposing of property. Our areas of expertise also include handling property-related disputes and construction litigation.

Covering all aspects of banking and financial law from ‘simple’ bilateral loans to more structured transactions is another one of our core practices. We assist Slovenian and international lenders and borrowers, including banks and other financial institutions, corporations from a wide range of business sectors and institutional investors.

Our team provides advice on secured and unsecured term loan facilities, cross-border and local syndications, mezzanine financing, consumer loans, real estate financing, project financing and public-private partnerships, equipment financing, aircraft financing, structured financing and leasing, securitisations, factoring, derivatives, restructuring, capital markets transactions, investment funds, etc. Our lawyers draft and negotiate (and register, if required) all appropriate transaction documentation and instruments of security, as well as issue formal legal opinions. We offer legal support in banking due diligence and financing M&A.

We also advise regulated financial services providers on regulatory matters (including corporate governance, licensing requirements and consumer credit issues) and the financial products they offer.

We offer legal advice on all aspects of competition law to Slovenian and international clients.

Our team will steer clients through merger-control proceedings and provide advice and representation in proceedings relating to abuse of dominant position and cartels, including leniency applications. We have experience in the field of restrictive practices (horizontal and vertical agreements) and assist clients in developing distribution systems and drafting licensing and co-operation agreements. We offer training in competition compliance and can provide a hotline in case of dawn raids. Our clients also benefit from our knowledge of related legal fields such as M&A, banking and finance etc., as well as our firm’s international links.

We offer advice in respect of all aspects of labour law to Slovenian and international clients – mostly companies and their management.

Our team provides legal counsel on the establishment and termination of employment relationships (including, among others, drafting labour agreements with management as well as regular employment agreements, and obtaining relevant work permits), the relationship between the employer and the workforce, national and international company restructuring and M&A, personnel reductions and shutdowns, due diligence in respect of employment relations, the settlement of employment disputes and litigation, etc.

We advise Slovenian and international clients on all aspects of insolvency law, restructuring and liquidation. We act for investors, banks, companies facing distressed business partners, companies facing financial difficulties, as well as their shareholders and management.

Our services in the insolvency and restructuring field include advising on out-of-court restructurings (with particular experience in refinancing), the protection of a creditor’s interests in insolvency situations (including the creation and enforcement of security instruments), cross-border insolvencies, management liability (and the implications of insolvency legislation), the acquisition of non-performing loans, the acquisition of assets or businesses from insolvent estates, voluntary liquidation and other insolvency-related matters.

We have years of experience in both protecting and defending intellectual property rights. Our lawyers advise Slovenian and international clients from any industry, and always render every effort to find the best solution. In the pharmaceutical field, our IP services are complemented by our knowledge of regulatory matters, including product approvals, branding and advertising.

Our services in the intellectual property field include handling registration of IP rights, drafting licensing, transfer, agency and other IP related agreements, conducting IP due diligence, advising on all aspects of copyright, including collective authors’ rights, etc.

Intellectual property litigation is another area of our work. We represent clients in (among others) trademark infringement, patent and copyright disputes, including the use of injunctive measures where necessary.

Our capital markets practice is built on the equity and debt experience of our team. We assist issuers and banks, listed companies and investment funds in national and cross-border transactions.

We cover all aspects of IPOs and private placements, capital increases, and bond and convertible note issues, advise potential issuers and underwriters on due diligence issues and any approval process and assist in relation to prospectuses, underwriting agreements and other documentation. We also advise on the legal aspects of financial derivatives, securitisations, investment funds, etc. As a full-service firm, we co-operate closely with specialists in other areas, such as tax and finance, to ensure a comprehensive service.

Our insurance practice combines knowledge of insurance supervision law and private insurance law, coupled with expertise in commercial and civil law. For years, we have been supporting Slovenian and international insurance and reinsurance companies as well as insurance intermediaries.

We advise on regulatory matters within the sector, assist insurance companies with restructuring and M&A matters (including due diligence), offer counsel and representation in litigation and alternative methods of dispute resolution and assist in relation to all legal questions arising from an insurance client’s day-to-day business (in particular as regards their legal relationship with insurance intermediaries and policy holders).

In advising on the entire spectrum of energy, natural resources and infrastructure law, our lawyers combine their specific knowledge of these areas with a broader understanding of company law, M&A, real estate law, as well as finance and civil law.

Our recent experience in the energy field include advising on the legal aspects of a potential international gas transmission, investments in photovoltaic roof plants, a possible acquisition of a gas distribution company, energy trading and potential joint ventures in a hydro power plant and a gas powered plant. We have also advised clients in relation to oil and gas exploitation and exploration interests on the local market, as well as interests in nuclear and photovoltaic projects.

We also advise on all aspects of environmental law, including zoning permits and due diligence, and assist our clients with the environmental aspects of commercial transactions. Our lawyers advise companies facing difficulties as a result of environmental violations and represent clients before the respective administrative bodies and courts.

We provide legal counsel to a range of clients affected by public procurement rules, including in relation to large-scale projects and public-private partnerships.

Our clients receive legal support throughout the procurement process, including legal advice on the need for transparency and conformity in the tender procedure, the preparation of quotations and consortium agreements, counselling on (non-)compliance with the tender rules, legal assistance concerning the claims of non-selected tenderers and claims amongst joint tenderers, as well as advice on the legal aspects of negotiations and financing.

We advise on consumer protection issues, including domestic and international product liability, advertising, labelling, consumer financial services, e-commerce and home shopping services. We also offer our clients assistance in case of consumer complaints, market inspections and offences.

Our data protection advisors provide advice in relation to compliance with data protection rules, including advising on processing, securing and transferring of personal data (including transfer to EU and third countries), registration with data protection authorities, as well as in relation to video surveillance, monitoring of employees at work and other legal issues in this field. We also assist our clients in data protection related disputes, including complaints, offences, administrative proceedings and data protection related litigation.

We offer expert legal advice to various Slovenian and international media companies – from emerging businesses to international media groups.

Our legal assistance covers regulation, investment issues and joint ventures, drafting and negotiating agreements, IP rights, competition, consumer protection, etc. We also represent media clients before the competent administrative authorities and handle the resolution of disputes arising out of media relations.

We advise on transactional and regulatory issues relating to the telecommunications and IT sectors. Our legal assistance in these fields primarily relates to governmental licensing, technology transfer, IT joint ventures, internet law and e-commerce, terrestrial and satellite broadcasting, representation before the regulatory authorities, as well as telecommunications and IT-related dispute resolution.

We provide advice on tax matters in close collaboration with the leading tax and finance experts in Slovenia, and represent clients in tax proceedings before the Slovenian tax authorities. We also advise on employment-related tax issues.